The United States is a nation of cars and roads, and a majority of Americans, including nearly all adults, have a valid driver’s licenses and operate motor vehicles often. For the most part, American drivers are careful and responsible, but there are some who are driving impaired or drive recklessly for some reason, and these drivers often cause auto accidents. Every day, many thousands of accidents take place, and people involved may get badly injured or, tragically, even killed. Wrongful death lawsuits may be filed by the family after a traffic fatality, and if someone is hurt by a car or hurt by another driver, they can turn to auto accident attorneys for help. A car accident lawyer can be found at any number of specialized law firms across the United States, and the auto accident attorneys working there may be open to consultations. Something similar can be done for finding workers comp lawyers and the like.
Traffic Accidents
A reckless or impaired driver may end up hitting other cars, pedestrians, or someone on a motorcycle or a bicycle, or simply hit a piece of public property. Why might this happen? Many impaired drivers are drunk behind the wheel, and this is quite common. Some Americans falsely believe that driving “buzzed” is an acceptable alternative, but this is not true at all. Legally speaking, a person is driving drunk if their blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08% or higher, but some states have an even lower threshold. Driving drunk means the driver’s reflexes, coordination, and judgment are lowered, and this driver may speed, drive sloppily, run red light, and more. This makes them very dangerous to themselves and others, they often cause accidents by hitting pedestrians or failing to see an oncoming car.
Some drivers are distracted, often by the car’s dashboard features or preoccupied with a handheld electronic device. This is dangerous, as such drivers are not watching the road and may be too late to react to oncoming cars, pedestrians, or a red light. Using cell phones while driving is often illegal for these reasons.
Finally, the weather itself may be a hazard, as heavy rain or snow may reduce visibility and make the roads slick, which makes accidents more likely even if no one involved was drunk or distracted. When an accident occurs, getting legal help is often the right call, and an auto accident attorney may be just the right person to help.
Finding an Auto Accident Attorney
When an auto accident victim is starting to recover, they may start searching for legal aid. This person most likely will want to get settlement money as compensation for the injuries sustained, but doing that alone may be difficult. An auto accident attorney can help, as such a professional will have the legal expertise needed to navigate litigation or even a court case. What is more, such an attorney will have a clear-headed and objective view con the case, which will make it easier for them to build coherent arguments to make during litigation. They are not emotionally charged like the client is.
A car accident victim may rest assured that many specialized auto accident law firms can be found across the nation, since car accidents are so common. The prospective client can consult the lawyers who work at a local firm (this may or may not incur a fee), and hire one whose expertise, experience, and success rate are to their liking.
Such a lawyer can handle complications in litigation or court. Some traffic accidents involved multiple parties, and without a lawyer’s help, it may be difficult to fairly assign blame or distribute compensation money. What is more, some insurance companies may refuse to cooperate or may even stonewall the victim, and if acting alone, the victim might be stymied. With an auto accident attorney’s help, the victim may deal with that obstacle and further pursue the settlement money they want. On a final note, the auto accident attorney can also factor in the victim’s financial impact due to the accident. This involves not only the victim’s healthcare fees, but if the victim’s injuries will prevent them from performing paying work in the future, that complex impact can be factored in as well.